In a prior art, in order to play back an image, such as a movie or an advertisement in a theater, a two-dimensional (2D) image is projected on a single screen disposed at the front of a movie theater. In such a system, audiences inevitably experience only the 2D image.
3D image-related technologies capable of providing stereoscopic images to audience have recently been developed. A 3D image technology is based on a principle that when different images enter the left eye and right eye of a person and are merged in the brain, the person perceives the merged images as a 3D image. In such a 3D image technology, two cameras on which different polarization filters are mounted are used to capture images. When watching an image, a person wears glasses on which polarization filters are mounted so that different images enter the left eye and right eye of the person.
However, such a 3D technology may provide a stereoscopic image to a user, but is problematic in that a degree of immersion for an image itself played back in a single screen is low because the user merely watches the image. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the direction of a 3D effect felt by audiences is limited to the direction in which a single screen is disposed.
Furthermore, a conventional 3D technology is problematic in that it may cause inconvenience for audiences who watch images because the audiences must wear glasses on which polarization filters are mounted and that a sensitive user may feel dizzy or sick because different images are forced to enter the left eye and right eye of the user.
Accordingly, a so-called “multi-projection system” capable of solving the problems of the conventional screening system based on a single screen was proposed. In this case, the “multi-projection system” means a technology for disposing a plurality of projection planes (or a plurality of display devices) around the seats for the audience and playing back synchronized images having a sense of unity on the plurality of projection planes (or the plurality of display devices) so that audiences may have a 3D effect and a sense of immersion.
In order to maximize a sense of immersion and a 3D effect felt by audiences using such as a “multi-projection system”, images matched with the viewpoint directions of respective projection planes (or respective display devices) need to be played back on a plurality of the projection planes (or a plurality of the display devices) disposed around the seats for the audience.
For example, assuming that there is a movie theater in which a plurality of projection planes (or a plurality of display devices) is disposed at the front and on the left and right sides of the seats for the audience as illustrated in FIG. 1, an image matched with a viewpoint that views the front on the basis of the seats for the audience needs to be played back the projection plane (or the display device) at the front, an image matched with a viewpoint that views the left on the basis of the seats for the audience needs to be played back in the projection plane (or the display device) on the left side, and an image matched with a viewpoint that views the right on the basis of the seats for the audience needs to be played back in the projection plane (or the display device) on the right side.
In a prior art, however, there is no technology for generating so-called “multi-projection images” that will be played back in a plurality of projection planes (or a plurality of display devices) of such a “multi-projection system”.
Accordingly, there is a need for the development of a new technology capable of solving such a technical need.
The present invention has been invented based on such a technical background and has been invented to satisfy the aforementioned technical need and also to provide additional technical elements that may not be easily invented by those skilled in the art.